Pet food composition and method

ABSTRACT

A feline pet food composition comprising a meat based material having an essentially solid mass assuming the shape of the container in which it is packed, said pet food having meat particles with a moisturized appearance and visually recognizable discrete food particles upon slicing the pet food mass after departure from the said container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] Pets have been fed “dry’ and “wet’ diets for many years. “Wet’diets are generally packaged in a can-like container. They are “wet’ inappearance because of the moisture therein. Generally two types of wetdiets are presently prepared. One is usually referred to in the industryas ground loaf. This is generally prepared by contacting all the keycomponents such as the meat and grain together with water and thenheating and mixing together in a series of apparatuses, a singleapparatus, or one apparatus, such as a thermal screw cooker/mixer. Inthis manner all of the major components as well as the minor componentssuch as colorants, oils, vitamins, and vitamin-like materials arecombined at an early preprocessing step and all processed together.Following this procedure an essentially homogeneous, intracellularhoneycomb-type (hence “ground loaf’) mass is produced which is readilypackaged into a cylindrical container. A second wet diet is generallyreferred to in the industry as “chunk and gravy’. This wet diet isusually produced by grinding meat, mixing, emulsifying, and then mixingthe meat further with water, oil and grains and other materials ifdesired. This mixture is then fed into a cooking apparatus, emittedtherefrom, cut, cooled and then sent for various stage fills. Usually ina two-stage fill, a gravy is added to the chunk. The gravy is preparedin the usual manner, for example, by mixing grains, starches, water,vitamins, if desired, and other materials into a mixing tank wherein itis heated and then fed to the container holding the chunky materials. Asopposed to the ground loaf, this diet has physically separated, discretechunks-pieces-of the ground meat and grains as prepared. These discreteparticles are present in the gravy-type liquid in the final container.The product produced by “chunks and gravy’ process has been used in petfood for many years.

[0002] As opposed to these standard forms of wet diet, a newcomposition, which can be potentially described as a hybrid of the twodistinct physical forms of ground load and chunk/gravy, has now beendiscovered and is specifically designed for felines. The new physicalform is prepared by a process which utilizes two distinct sub processes;a thermal process to preserve the physical and to an extent the chemicalintegrity of the meat component and a modified-gravy making process tobind the meat mix and the grain mix so as to enhance a “hearty-ground’appearance which has visually recognizable discrete meat particleswithin the essentially homogeneous mass of the finished product. Thisnew process can result in substantial cost reduction in capitalinvestment for machinery as well as labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In accordance with the invention, there is a feline pet foodcomposition comprising a meat based material having an essentially solidmass assuming the shape of the container in which it is packed, said petfood composition having visually recognizable discrete meat particleswith a moisturized appearance upon slicing the pet food mass afterdeparture from the said container.

[0004] A further aspect of the invention is a meat and grain basedfeline pet food composition, which visually is a hybrid between a groundloaf and chunk and gravy prepared by a process comprising

[0005] (a) heating the meat portion of the composition to a temperatureat or below the denaturation point of the meat portion,

[0006] (b) separately from the meat portion, and portion (c) mixinggrain or a mixture of grains together with water to a temperature thatwill achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinization andretrogradation of the grain or mixture of grains,

[0007] (c) separately from the meat portion (a) and grain (b) preparinga viscosity building fluid or slurry which when combined together withcomponents (a) and (b) forms at least an essentially homogeneous massduring a container filling process, and

[0008] (d) combining and mixing (a), (b) and (c) while maintainingtemperature of combined mass.

[0009] A still further aspect of the invention is a process forpreparing meat and grain based composition feline pet food, whichcomprises

[0010] (a) heating the meat portion of the composition to a temperatureat or below the denaturation point of the meat portion,

[0011] (b) separately from the meat portion, and portion (c) mixinggrain or mixture of grains together with water to a temperature thatwill achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinization andretrogradation or mixture of grains,

[0012] (c) separately from the meat portion (a) and grain (b) preparinga viscosity building fluid or slurry which when combined together withcomponents (a) and (b) forms at least an essentially homogeneous massduring a container filling process, and

[0013] (d) combining (a), (b), and (c) while maintaining temperature ofcombined mass.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1: Prior art ground loaf process

[0015]FIG. 2: Prior art chunk and gravy process

[0016]FIG. 3: Invention “thermal set” process

[0017]FIG. 4: Photograph of diet produced by prior art ground loafprocess

[0018]FIG. 5: Photograph of diet produced by prior art chunk and gravyprocess

[0019]FIG. 6: Photograph of diet produced by Invention “Thermal Set’process.

[0020] The coin at the bottom of FIGS. 4-6 is a U.S. quarter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Traditionally, containerized pet food such as canned pet food isdivided into two categories: chunk and gravy type products and groundloaf product.

[0022] The chunk and gravy product comprises a preformed meat particleprepared by making a meat emulsion which is extruded and formed byphysical pressure or thermal energy such as cooking with steam, cookingin water, oven dry heat and the like. A product, cooked meat, is dicedinto chunks, which are eventually mixed with a gravy or sauce. The twocomponents are then filled into a container, usually a can, seamed andsterilized.

[0023] A ground loaf product is generally prepared by mixing the variouscomponents, for example, meats, grains, vitamins, minerals and water,usually by steam and added water. The solid components are previouslyground together. The total meat, grain, water and other componentmixture is then heated to a low temperature of 60° F. or to a higherrange of 180-200° F. depending upon the specific components. Theproducts are filled in the cans, seamed and retorted for sterility. Thefinished product generally has a moisture range of about 65% to about85%. These ground loaf products can be made on a batch to batch basis ora continuous process in which the three major components, meats, grainsand water are continuously added and mixed together in a thermal screwcooker/mixer. During this process, and particularly at this stage,everything is treated as a single ingredient regardless of the physicalor chemical characteristic of the individual ingredient, component andthe formulation. Examples of such physical and chemical properties areboiling point difference, gelatinization temperature of grain-types,protein denaturation temperature of the various meats, and the like. Asa result of such processing, there is a wide range of texturaldifferences in terms of softness and firmness, stickiness and mushinessand other easily evaluated parameters of the final composition, whichoccur from batch to batch and composition to composition.

[0024] Therefore, it is an advantage of this invention that variouscomponents in the formulation, particularly the components such as meatand grains, are processed to bring out their best physical and chemicalcharacteristics for presence in the final composition. This gives a moreconsistent and controllable product.

[0025] Still further the processing of the invention brings about afinal product which has a better texture, is firmer and/or less sticky.This inventive process increases the chemical and physical functionalityof each component in the formulation. Each one has a tendency tomaintain its own discreteness and integrity.

[0026] As mentioned previously, the normal ground loaf process mixes allcomponents and then heats it to an approximate temperature range of 115°F. to 125° F. for feline products and about 180° F. to 200° F. forcanine products. In this new process the meat components are “thermallyset’ at and/or below temperatures of protein denaturation of the mixtureand heated essentially by themselves, that is, with the essential ortotal absence of grains, additional water, vitamins, minerals, and thelike. This heating process generally improves the texture of the meatsby inactivating the bacterial and tissue enzyme processes, it isbelieved, thereby providing a final pet food composition which isfriable that is breaks under stress. The temperature treatment is suchthat a slight coagulation of the protein occurs which contributes to themoisturized appearance of the protein in the final product.

[0027] The grains may also be treated separately and then added to thepreviously “thermally set’ meat. The grains are mixed and cooked ifnecessary at the specific temperature range which will achieve oressentially achieve hydration, gelatinization, and retrogradation so asto improve their binding to the meats and/or reduce the stickiness orincrease the firmness of the finished product texture.

[0028] Finally a separate treatment is made of various “gravy’ typecomponents by heat such as gums, native starches, modified starches,carbohydrates, water and the like to prepare a viscosity building slurryor fluid. The purpose of such preparation is to increase thecohesiveness of the two components (a) and (b) so as to maintain anessentially or totally homogenous mass during the filling process intothe container.

[0029] With respect to the meats, “thermal setting’ is achieved byheating the meat components to, or directly below, the temperature ofdenaturation of the meat protein. This generally ranges from about 120°F. to 125° F. for fish protein to about 180° F. or higher for skeletalmuscle protein of cattle. Lying somewhere in between this range are thedenaturation temperatures of muscles from chicken and pigs. If there isa combination of such meats, the temperature of heating is at or belowthe denaturation temperature of the mixture. This can be fairlyascertained by the texture and/or the color of the mixture.

[0030] With respect to grains, each grain when exposed to thermaltreatment with added water will go through processes includinghydration, gelatinization and retrogradation. By properly balancingcarbohydrate sources, one can obtain the proper stickiness or bindingfor maintaining certain textures as desired. For example, short chainpolysaccharides tend to be sticky and gluey and longer chainpolysaccharides are less sticky and gluey than the shorter chain.Generally, simple sugars such as sucrose and glucose are capable of“binding’ which is detrimental if one desires a friable texture of thefinished product of this invention. Basically the desired texture ofthis hybrid diet is achieved by longer chain polysaccharide and modifiedstarches such as native or modified starches, cellulose and the like.

[0031] The gravy type components of “c’ of the invention include gumssuch as guar gum(s), native starch such as National Starch 150 andvarious modified starches such as deptrin prepared from dry starchtreated with heat and acid, oxidation of native starch with hypochloriteto obtain an oxidized starch which can inhibit gelling, an acid orenzyme hydrolyzed polysaccharide which can delay pasting and gelling, acrosslinked starch and a substituted starch with, for example, propyleneoxide or acetic anhydride which can provide freeze thaw stability and apeak viscosity as well as a high fructose corn syrup, carbohydratesglucose and sucrose. Therefore, a multitude of desirable results such asshelf life stability, process control, textural and mouth feel, heatacid and shear stability, and freeze thaw stability can be assistedthrough proper selection of the modification.

[0032] The components are heated with water to about 180-200° F. toprovide a viscosity buildup slurry or fluid so as to maintain anessentially or totally homogeneous mass during the filling process whilepost retorting (after filling) these material(s) will retrograde todeliver the desired characteristics such as friable texture in the finalpackaged feline diet when opened for consumption.

[0033] Below are descriptions of the two prior art processes and theinventive process of this disclosure. In this manner the differences areeasily ascertained.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] The prior art ground loaf process is generally carried out in theart as described in FIG. 1. Meats are reduced in size in an extructer 1,and transferred through line 2 to a grinder 3. The ground meats aretransferred through a line 4 to a cooker/mixer 5 where the meat slurryis cooked. The cooked slurry is fed through line 6 to a thermal screwcooker/mixer 13. The grains used in the ground loaf diet are mixed in amixer 7 and transferred through line 8 to a shear mixer 9 where they aresheared together with water from container 11, fed via line 12 and 14 tothe shear mixer 9. The contents of the shear mixer are then transferredto the thermal screw cooker/mixer 13 through line 10. Additional watercan be transferred through lines 12 and 16 to the thermal screwcooker/mixer, 13. Steam 26, is then added through 27 to the thermalscrew cooker/mixer where necessary and the ground loaf diet is heatedand mixed through the shear of the screw cooker mixer to the usualtemperature for diets. Generally, for a canine diet this temperature isabout 180-200° F. and for a feline product generally from a temperatureof 110-120° F. Also present in the thermal screw cooker mixer 13, arevarious small quantities of additives such as iron oxide, carnitine,oil, and liquid flavors transferred through line 15. The properly cookedmixed and extructed canine diet is then transferred through line 16 toan emulsifier 17. The other diets primarily feline are transferredthrough line 19 to line 22. Otherwise, the other (canine) diets aretransferred through line 20 to a holding tank line 21 wherein they aretransferred to a filler 23 through line 22, wherein they are filledthrough line 24 to the final container 25.

[0035] The chunk and gravy process is shown in FIG. 2. Meats are groundin a container, 30 and transferred through line 31 to a mixer, 32 andthen transferred to an emulsifier 34, through line 33. Afteremulsification, they are transferred to a second mixer, 36, through line35 where they are mixed with water transferred to the mixer through line38, oil transferred to the mixer through line 39, and grains transferredto the mixer through line 40. After thorough mixing, the total mixtureis transferred to a chunk forming apparatus, 41 through line 37. Theformed chunks are then transferred to a cooking tunnel, 43 through line42, where they are further cooked and then to an apparatus, 45, whichcuts and cools the formed diet through line 44. The diet is nowtransferred to a holding tank, 47 through line 46, and then transferredthrough line 48 to a first stage fill 49, where it is held. During thisprocess, the gravy system is prepared in a mixing tank 59, which is fedvitamins and other small quantities of various additives 52 through line55, water from 53 through line 56, and various gums and starchesutilized in the gravy system from 54 through line 57. In tank 58, theyare then thoroughly mixed with heat added through line 59 from a heatreservoir, 59 a, and then transferred to a holding tank, 62 through line60. Additional heat may be necessary in the holding tank and istransferred through line 61. The gravy system is now transferred to thesecond stage fill system, 51, through line 63. During this time, thechunk formulation is also transferred to the second stage fill, 51through line 50, which is the line coming from the first stage fill, 49.Within the second stage fill, the chunk diet is thoroughly coated andmixed with the gravy system. This mixture is then transferred to aseamer 65, through line 64.

[0036]FIG. 3 shows the inventive thermal set process of this disclosure.It is readily observed that the steps are significantly less and providea diet, which is substantially different in appearance than either thechunk in gravy or the ground loaf products, as shown in the photographsdesignated as FIGS. 4 to 6. The meats are mixed in a mixer, 75 andtransferred through lines 76 to a thermal set cooker, 77. After beingcooked at a temperature at or below the denaturation point of the meatsor the mixture of meats, the mixture is transferred to a second mixer,82, through line 78. During this time period, the grains utilized in theformulation are mixed with various vitamins and minerals in container,80, heated if necessary, and transferred through line 81 to the mixer82. Also, during this time, the modified starches and/or carbohydratesand water are mixed together in container 83, transferred to the gravykettle 85 through line 84, wherein they are cooked and then transferredthrough line 86 to mixer 82, wherein all three components are mixedtogether at the prevailing temperature. Heat can be added to maintainthe prevailing temperature, if desired, but it is generally notnecessary nor desirable to go above about 160° F. This diet is thentransferred to filler 88, through line 87. In this manner, the diet ofthis disclosure is readily prepared.

[0037] In further description, a meat protein source, component (a), agrain mix with vitamin and mineral component (b), and modifiedstarch/and/or carbohydrate/water, component (c) are mixed together in amixer to provide a mass having meat particles with a moisturizedappearance and visually recognizable discrete food particles when filledinto a can.

[0038] A meat protein source is a meat mix either fresh or thawed outfrozen meat blocks such as meat or meat by-products. Meat materials canbe animal protein muscle or skeletal meats of mammals, fish, poultry ormeat by-products such as hearts, livers, lungs, tongues and the like.The meat protein source is generally ground through differentgrind-plates ranging from about x inch to about 1 inch, depending on thediscrete food particle size requirements in the finished product.

[0039] Generally, the meat preferably comprises about 15 to 25% proteinwith a moisture content range from about 55 to 75% by weight and the fatcontent about 5 to 15%.

[0040] The composite meat mix is mixed and heated in any suitablemixer/cooker. For example, a twin screw mixer, a twin ribbon mixer, anoverlapping paddle mixer, or a combination of the above mentionedfeatures such as screw/ribbon/paddle with live steam injection. Mixingis to ensure that the meat mix is homogeneously coagulated at or belowthe temperature of protein denaturation of the said meat protein source.This generally ranges from about 120° F. for fish protein to about 170°F. or higher for skeletal muscle protein of mammals (cattle and lamb).Lying somewhere in between this range are the denaturation temperaturesof muscles from chicken and pigs. If there is a combination of suchmeats, the temperature of heating is at or below the denaturationtemperature of the mixture.

[0041] In order to provide the recognizable discrete meat particles infinished product, the mixer/cooker provides sufficient mixing as well asgood temperature control during mixing and heating. Overheated meatprotein generally loses textural integrity, therefore losing discreteparticle appearance.

[0042] Grain mix with preferably added vitamin and mineral, component(b), can be a single grain, or a mixture of grains such as oat fiber,cellulose, peanut hull, beet pulp, parboiled rice, corn starch and corngluten meal with added salt, spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals,flavorants, colorants, and the like. The amount of this additive mixtureis at least partially dependent on the nutritional requirements fordifferent life stages of the animals based on Association of AmericanFeed Control Officials regulations (AAFCO).

[0043] The temperature of heating during mixing ranges from about 120°to 180° F. to achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinizationand/or retrogradation of grain/carbohydrate for certain desired textureof diet.

[0044] Component (c) is generally comprised of materials as previouslynoted. These materials are selected to provide pre-processing (thick)viscosity for filling requirement when these 3 main components (a), (b),and (c) are mixed together in a mixer. The pre-processing viscosity isimportant in preventing component separation during filling the 3components as a single entity at the filler. Modified corn starch hasthe characteristics of thick and thin, therefore, it is thick duringfilling, but viscosity will break down (thin) after retorting to providethe recognizable discrete meat particles in finished product. The longerchain polysaccharide (guar gum) also provides filling viscosity as wellas preventing enzymatic breakdown of gravy fluid viscosity in finishedproducts. It is well known that meat protein not completely denaturatedor coagulated contains protease which is detrimental to gravyconsistency in finished products.

[0045] Component (c) comprising the modified starch and/or carbohydratewith the presence of water when exposed to thermal treatment will behydrated, gelatinized and retrograded at temperatures up to 180 to 200°F. By properly balancing carbohydrate and/or modified starch sources,one can obtain the proper stickiness or binding for maintaining certaintextures as desired. For example, it is now understood that short chainpolysaccharides tend to be sticky and gluey and that long chainpolysaccharides are less sticky and gluey than the shorter chains whenprocessed. Generally speaking, shorter chain polysaccharide such asthose obtained from ground whole wheat and corn are capable of “binding’with water to become sticky, which is detrimental if one desires adiscrete particle texture in finished products. Examples of long chainpolysaccharides are gums, cellulose and the like. This will provide lesssticky, firmer final products.

[0046] Components (a), (b) and (c) are mixed in any suitable mixerwithout any further heating. Maintenance of the temperature achieved inthe individual mixing steps, however, should be achieved. Allowing thetemperature to fall too far mitigates the temperature treatment of eachcomponent alone. They enter this mixer at the temperature at or slightlybelow that which they were each treated at prior to this mixingtogether. For mixing purposes, a twin screw mixer, a twin ribbon mixer,or an overlapping paddle mixer can be sufficient. The mixing should beenough to ensure that all 3 components are formed into a single entityfor filling.

[0047] Although not essential to the invention, the general wt % of thecomposition of the feline diet can be the following:

[0048] Meat—about 40 wt % to about 70 wt %, desirably about 45 wt % toabout 65 wt %;

[0049] Grain—about 6 wt % to about 14 wt %, desirably about 8 wt % toabout 12 wt %; and

[0050] Gravy—about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, desirably about 25 wt % toabout 35 wt %.

[0051] The final mixture is filled into cans which are then sealed andsterilized. In this case, the product produced a solid mass withrecognizable discrete meat particles with a moisturized appearance.

Example I

[0052] A meat mix comprising skeletal muscle from cattle or hog and itsmeat by products is prepared using about 60% of the total weight offinished product. The resultant meat mix has a moisture content of77.00%, 15.32% protein, and 6.20% fat. Such meat protein source ishomogeneously mixed and coagulated at 165° F. to 170° F. with live steamin a ribbon/paddle mixer.

[0053] A grain mix comprising parboiled rice and cellulose at a total of8% of the total weight of finished product with vitamin, minerals,colorant and flavor about 2% by weight of finished product is prepared.

[0054] A gravy is then prepared by mixing together 1.8% modifiedcornstarch, 1.2-% guar gum and water/steam making up the remainder (allpercentage by weight of the gravy, not the finished product). The gravyis then heated to 190° F. to 200° F. to develop the target viscosity of22 cm/30 seconds@180° F. (Bostswick Consistometer) for fillingrequirement combining the 3 components into 1 single entity.

[0055] Immediately after all 3 components are prepared separately asdescribed above, they are evenly blended in a regular mixer withoutfurther heating. The blending ratio of meat component, grain componentand gravy is 60:10:30 wt %, respectively. The final mixture is filledinto cans, sealed and sterilized. The resultant product aftersterilization has a hearty ground texture appearance with visuallyrecognizable meat particles which neither resemble ground loaf nor chunkand gravy products.

Example II

[0056] A meat mix consisting of skeletal muscle from fish or chicken andmeat by-products is prepared from about 55% of the total weight offinished product. The resultant meat mix has a moisture content of64.50%, 16.00% protein, and 17.53% fat. Such meat protein source ishomogeneously mixed and coagulated to 120 to 125° F. with live steam ina ribbon/paddle mixer.

[0057] A grain mix comprising parboiled rice, yellow ground corn and oatfiber at a total of 10% of the total weight of finished product withvitamin, minerals, colorant and flavor about 1.5% by weight of finishedproduct is prepared at room temperature.

[0058] A gravy is then prepared by mixing together 1.8% modified cornstarch, 0.6% guar gum and water/steam making up the remainder (allpercentage by weight of the gravy, not the finished product). The gravyis then heated to 190 to 200° F. to develop the target viscosity of 20cm/30 seconds@180° F. (Bostwick Consistometer) for filling requirementcombing the 3 components into 1 single entity.

[0059] Immediately after all 3 components are prepared separately asdescribed above, they are evenly blended in a regular mixer withoutfurther heating. The blending ratio of meat mix, grain mix and gravy wt% is 55:11.5:33.5 wt %, respectively. The final mixture is filled intocans, sealed and sterilized. The resultant product after sterilizationhas a hearty ground texture appearance with visually recognizable meatparticles which do not resemble ground loaf or chunks and gravyproducts.

[0060] With respect to the general times of the various heattreatment(s) in the process of the invention, when preparing the meat(s)incipient spoilage and too much coagulation should be avoided.Generally, heating is no more than about 15-20 minutes.

[0061] Component (b) is generally not preformed for the feline diet andmixing occurs at ambient temperature.

[0062] Component (c) (gravy) heating is generally not more than abouttwo hours, otherwise, product appearance can be negatively affected.

What is claimed is:
 1. A feline pet food composition comprising a meatbased material having an essentially solid mass assuming the shape ofthe container in which it is packed, said pet food having visuallyrecognizable discrete meat particles with a moisturized appearance uponslicing the pet food mass after departure from the said container. 2.The composition in accordance with claim 2 having about 40 wt % to about70 wt % meat.
 3. The composition in accordance with claim 3 having about45 wt % to about 65 wt % meat.
 4. A meat and grain based feline pet foodcomposition which visually is a hybrid between a ground loaf compositionand a chunk and gravy composition, said pet food composition prepared bya process comprising (a) heating the meat portion of the pet foodcomposition to a temperature at or below the denaturation point of themeat portion, (b) separately from the meat portion (a) and the fluid orslurry (c) mixing grain together or a mixture of grains together withwater to a temperature that will achieve or essentially achievehydration, gelatinization, and retrogradation of the grain or mixture ofgrains (c) separately from the meat portion (a) and grains (b) preparinga viscosity building fluid or slurry which when combined into components(a) and (b) forms at least an essentially homogenous mass during acontainer filling process and (d) combining (a), (b) and (c) and mixingwhile maintaining temperature of combined mass.
 5. The composition inaccordance with claim 4 which component (a) is heated to about 180° F.or higher for a diet having skeletal muscle protein of cattle.
 6. Thecomposition in accordance with claim 4 which component (b) grain isselected from the group consisting of oat fiber, cellulose, peanut hull,beet pulp, parboiled rice, cornstarch, corn gluten meal, and a mixturethereof.
 7. The composition in accordance with claim 4 which component(c) starch is selected from modified cornstarch, guar gum, glucose,sucrose, high fructose corn syrup and a mixture thereof.
 8. A processfor preparing a meat and grain based feline pet food composition whichcomprises (a) heating the meat portion of the pet food composition to atemperature at or below the denaturation point of the meat portion, (b)separately from the meat portion (a) and the fluid or slurry (c) mixinggrain or a mixture of grains together with water to a temperature thatwill achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinization, andretrogradation of the grain or mixture of grains (c) separately from themeat portion (a) and grains (b) preparing a viscosity building fluid orslurry which when combined with components (a) and (b) forms at least anessentially homogenous mass during a container filling process and (d)combining (a), (b) and (c) and mixing while maintaining temperatures ofcombined mass.
 9. A process in accordance with claim 8 wherein component(a) is heated to about 180° F. or higher for a diet having skeletonmuscle protein of cattle.
 10. A process in accordance with claim 8wherein the component (b) grain is selected from the group consisting ofoat fiber, cellulose, peanut hull, beet pulp, parboiled rice,cornstarch, corn gluten meal, and a mixture thereof.
 11. A process inaccordance with claim 8 wherein component (c) starch is selected frommodified cornstarch, guar gum, glucose, sucrose, high fructose cornsyrup and mixtures thereof.